NU's Fitzgerald on QB Persa: 'Scary how good he could be'

It doesn’t matter that Dan Persa is rehabbing from Achilles’ tendon surgery. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald believes he can be even better this season.

"To me, it’s scary how good he could be,” Fitzgerald said Thursday at Big Ten media days. “His athletic gifts and talents, that’s easy to see. But to see that mental progression from a quarterback … the game slows down, and you are able to anticipate things before they unfold.”

Fitzgerald said Persa, whom coaches elected to the All-Big Ten first team last season, is “100 percent healed,” but could not get in premium shape because doctors have limited his running and workouts.

And NU coaches will give his body a break in training campy by limiting his reps.

"I’ll be honest with you,” Fitzgerald said, “If you ask: 'In Period Four, why didn’t he take reps with the 1s?' my answer will be: ‘Because he didn’t.’ Maybe he’ll be a little sore or we want to get some other guys some reps.”

"We have a really good problem,” Fitzgerald said. “We have some quarterbacks who can play.”

Fitzgerald also all but confirmed a Tribune report that athletic director Jim Phillips will formally sign an extension to keep him in Evanston through 2020, matching Fitzgerald’s deal. Phillips’ deal could be announced as early as next week.

"My hope is that he will get to see the same commitment that the university made to me,” Fitzgerald said.

Asked what Phillips brings to the job, Fitzgerald said: “He’s fair. He’s a huge fan, which is kind of fun. Sometimes I have to talk him off the ledge in our locker room after the game, but that’s all right. I look forward to working with him for a long, long time.”

Ohio State reporters, writing about Luke Fickell, asked Fitzgerald about the quick transition he made from linebackers coach to head coach after Randy Walker died in 2006.

"I thought I did a terrible job,” Fitzgerald said. “I micro-managed everything. You go from being on a need-to-know basis to needing to know everything, but there’s only so much time in the day. What I did poorly, I (should have) trusted the people that support our program and the coaches, then go coach the players and do what you do.

"I was horrible and I have apologized to those seniors that we didn’t get it done for them. But we all learn from our experiences."